THE BORN IDENTITY (some text hidden) SECTIONED_new_cupraborn_2022

By Jonathan Crouch

The CUPRA Born adds a more appealing twist to established VW Group engineering for compact EVs. Jonathan Crouch takes a look at the latest version.

Ten Second Reviewword count: 42

Fledgling Spanish brand CUPRA offers a surprisingly appealing compact family EV with sporting genes, this car, the Born, here usefully improved. It takes all the clever ingredients of other VW Group EVs, but blends them into a more engaging and characterful confection.

Backgroundword count: 224

It was only a matter of time before we started seeing performance-orientated versions of compact family EVs, but what if you could have one that was, in all its forms, fundamentally developed for enjoyment at the wheel? Yet still as practical, ecological and frugal as its battery-powered rivals. That's the promise of this car, the CUPRA Born. You may by now be vaguely aware of the CUPRA brand. Once it was purely a performance badge on fast SEATs, but now it's a marque in its own right offering two repackaged SEAT models (the CUPRA Ateca and the CUPRA Leon) and one design of its own (the CUPRA Formentor SUV). CUPRA was clear from the start that electrification would play a major part in its product development and, sure enough, the Leon and the Formentor can both be had in Plug-in 'e-Hybrid' forms. The Born though, is a full EV, using the same engineering you'll find in a Volkswagen ID.3 or a Skoda Enyaq, but packaged with a performance twist. You'd think this CUPRA EV model would have had a wider audience with the SEAT branding it was originally supposed to have (initially it was slated to be sold as a SEAT el-Born). But the VW Group has decided instead that this car should be a touch more aspirational than that. Let's check it out.

Engines and Tech Specword count: 324

Like the VW ID.3 it's based on, the Born drives from the rear, but has been set up to feel more sporty. The main drivetrain change with this update lies with the base 58kWh battery model, which is now paired with a motor downrated from 204PS to 190PS in an effort to improve range (which accordingly rises from 264 to 280 miles). Most Born buyers opt for the larger 79kWh battery, which as before is paired to a 231PS motor and offers range now improved from 346 to 372 miles. There's still a hot hatch Born VZ flagship model with the same 79kWh battery pack and an uprated 326PS motor; this can also go up to 272 miles. The Born springs away from rest of course, as all EVs do, running out of puff just after the point where you realise that the torque rush has inadvertently pushed you over the speed limit. To differentiate the car from the ID.3, CUPRA has has fitted shorter coil springs lowering the ride height, along with wider tyres, a more direct variable-ratio steering set-up and a retuned stability control system. Across the Born range, there are four main drive modes - 'Comfort', 'Performance', 'Range' and 'Individual', with a further 'CUPRA' setting for the e-Boost and VZ models. Optional 'DCC' adaptive damping (standard on the VZ) enhances the 'Comfort' setting, but you don't really need it because the standard passive set-up is very good indeed. The Barcelona engineers must have worked really hard on that: a pity then, that they weren't given leave by Wolfsburg to fiddle with the steering, which despite its quicker rack feels remote and very light on feedback. Even as it is though, this is (as intended) a far more engaging thing than its ID.3 cousin; to the point where we'd find it hard to think of another similarly-sized EV in this price bracket that we'd recommend over this one to a keen driver.

To see the full road test text contact us on 0330 0020 227